This weekend on Oct. 4 – 5, the inaugural Bluff City Oktoberfest takes over Riverside Drive! Pulling from one of the oldest festival traditions in the world, Bluff City Oktoberfest, much like the original, will feature food, a beer garden, live music and dancing. But here in Memphis, expect it all Southern style.
The event benefits the Samaritan Counseling Centers of the Mid-South, and in the Samaritan spirit admission will be free with a donation of $5 or a gently used child’s coat or comparable canned goods for the Mid-South Food Bank. Bluff City Oktoberfest is proud to support the Samaritan Center’s Hope for Heroes program, which provides critically needed psychological and support services for veterans and active military service men and women.
Here’s what you can expect on the river October 4-5:
Love Brats? Enter the Brat eating competition Saturday at 1 p.m. in front of the Main Stage in Mississippi River Park or get samples in the food court on Riverside Drive.
From 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, beer lovers can enjoy a sampling of 60 domestic, imported and craft beers in the Biergarten, presented by the Beale Street Merchant’s Association. Tickets for the brew tasting are sold separately and can be purchased now at BluffCityOktoberfest.org.
Kids get into the action Saturday at 2 p.m. during the Kids’ Burger Cook-Off. The Memphis Fire Department will lead a lighting of the grills ceremony (grills and meat included in entry fee). After the burgers are cooked, there will be plenty more for the kids at Oktoberfest – face painting, a bounce house, rides, a rock climbing wall and more. The live music stage in Mississippi River Park will feature Bluegrass and Newgrass – here’s the line-up:
Friday
5 p.m. – Cypress Creek Bluegrass Band
6 p.m. – Devil Train
Saturday
11 a.m. – Le Tumulte Noir
Noon – Papa Tops West Coast Turn Around
1 p.m. – Bluff City Backsliders
2 p.m. – Eric and Andy
3 p.m. – Side Street Steppers
4 p.m. – Dandy and the Lions
5 p.m. – Fatback Jubilee
6 p.m. – Uncle Tony’s String Band
Posted In: Blog, Signal Flow news